PROFILE: Lee Bellamy

PROFILE: Lee Bellamy

Lee Bellamy had achieved the position of National Sales Manager when he surprised colleagues and industry insiders by leaving BSS Industrial, part of the mega-global Travis Perkins Group, but Lee was looking for a new challenge with greater opportunities, and he found them both, to become the new National Sales Manager for Valve & Process Solutions.

The latest addition to the VPS family has taken to the company like a duck to a water pipe… but at VPS Web Central, we wanted to know why someone with his industry experience, reaching the heady heights of NSM within a major corporate would change track for the comparatively tiny up and coming VPS…

Lee’s dad was a mechanic by trade, influencing his offspring the way you might expect. Building and repairing their own bicycles, creating machines with Lego and Meccano, building remote control cars; Lee and his brother grew up with only one path to go down.

Always a worker, Lee was stacking shelves at 13 and running a bicycle repair business for his friends, making pocket money while he was still at school – when he became interested in electronics and pneumatics.

While most students have a favourite mentor, Lee was lucky enough to be taught by a very good Technology teacher who encouraged him to join an external pneumatics course when he was still only 14.

Becoming an Engineer was the logical next step.

As an apprentice his employer sponsored Lee to complete a City & Guilds in machine tool programming and setting, an ONC in Mechanical Engineering and an HNC in Industrial & Business Studies at DeMonfort University – adding an HND in Business Studies through the same Uni’ while working full time.

The talent for building business relationships was spotted at an early stage in Lee’s Engineering career, he was recommended by Technical Management for a sales role and quickly promoted from internal sales to Project Sales for Valves within head office – his enthusiasm for providing customers with bespoke solutions grew exponentially.

So why Valve & Process Solutions?

“The scope of a role with an ambitious young company was obvious, and exciting!

It’s a tight knit efficient set up, where no idea is ignored. Nothing, as Steve says, is off the table. Which for someone wanting to continue and grow personal relationships with clients – clients who appreciate being treated as more than just a number on a balance sheet – industry colleagues – who I want to help achieve both their technical and business aims… well I can’t think of a better position to be in.”

Lee went on:

“I know VPS is the perfect fit for me because the whole team believes relationships come first. Our clients know we are there to give them the best service and support possible, they do not deal with us because we are cheap, they deal with us because they are confident in our knowledge and secure in our trading relationship.”

Like Steve Pearson, Lee Bellamy is passionate about the status of professional Engineers within society and the infinite possibilities for positive change Engineering can bring to the environment and the UK economy.

“YoE 2018 is a brilliant initiative! I’ve always thought that we need more apprentices, more people coming up through the industry and Government support to promote the status of the Engineering Industry and Engineers themselves – to the perceived level currently enjoyed by Doctors, Architects and Lawyers – as they are in Canada and elsewhere.”

Lee believes VPS can be an “unstoppable force” – which is good news because that’s how VPS feels about Lee.

Valve and Process Solutions is supporting Year of Engineering 2018 #YOE